Breaking Hearts
by Purplestripe66
Summary: PRiS - Dark Specter has a new plan for capturing the rangers, and Astronema doesn't like it.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers do not belong to me. They belong to Disney. Wow. I feel like I'm in first grade reciting a part of a play or something. :P

**A/N:** Thanks to **tsukinoakume** for the help with the title. Couldn't have come up with it without you.

**Rated:** K+

**Breakig Hearts: Prologue**

Astronema looked out over the sea of grass. It was late night already, but the two full moons cast more than enough light to see by. The moonlight was a pure white, despite the pink tint of the smaller moon. It illuminated the distant clouds, giving them a hauntingly beautiful glow. And it reflected off the long grass that swayed with the wind, making it look almost like strands of silver. The stars scattered across the sky were plentiful, inspite of the full moon. They seemed to twinkle more than usual. As if they were somehow effected by the wind.

She closed her eyes, feeling the wind on her face and blowing through her hair. She smilled. It was cool now. Just a few hours ago, they had been out swimming. It had been to hot to do anything else.

_Who was 'they'?_ a voice in the back of her mind asked quietly. She ignored it. She knew the answer of course, her and her brother.

She opened her eyes just in time to see a flash that rivaled even the moonlight come from the rapidly aproaching clouds. She should have be scared, but she wasn't. Everyone expected her to be, but she just thought it was beautiful. _Why would anyone expect you to be afraid?_ the voice asked. _You are the Princess of Evil. What would you be afraid of?_

She shook her head. No, that wasn't right. It didn't matter. This was so beautiful. It was right. It was home.

_This isn't your home,_ the voice insisted. _Your home is the Dark Fortress._

Astronema smilled, that was ridiculous. "No," she whispered into the wind as the not-so-distant clouds lit up with lightning again, "of course this is home."

_It's not_ the voice said, harsher now.

Someone called out to her. She couldn't understand the words, but she knew they wanted her to come inside. Who was that? "It is," she insisted, starting to get worried now. But her words drowned out by the first distant sound of thunder.

_If this is your home, tell me where you are. Tell me who's voice that is. Why are they calling you?_ the voice demanded, this time louder.

Astronema opened her mouth. The answers were so simple, so obvious. Of course she knew them. But no words came. She couldn't answer. She knew, she must know. But was it possible she didn't? She kept her eyes fixed on the clouds, she couldn't look away now. She knew whoever was calling her was comming closer, comming to get her. She wanted to turn around, to go to them, but she couldn't.

_Tell me Astronema. If you truely are home, tell me where you are_ the voice demanded again. It was loud now. Louder than the wind, than the thunder. It sounded all around her.

"No," Astronema said, confused. "I'm not- I'm not Astronema. You're wrong. I'm-" A deafening crash of thunder sounded, cutting off her words.

Astronema sat up, gasping. She lookedd around. She was in her room. She was on the Dark Fortress. She relaxed a little, as she swung her legs over the side of her bed, trying to calm her breathing.

It wasn't the first nightmare she had had. They had been comming more frequently in the past couple of months, since she had officially been named Princess of Evil, Dark Specter's second in command. She knew the dreams had to mean something. They weren't always the same, or even similar, but they all had such a sence of familiarity.

She sighed, knowing she couldn't aford to let the stress get to her. She was already doing badly enough against the rangers. If Dark Specter decided that she had failed him, her dreams would no longer be an issue.

She got up, heading towards her window. She looked down at the Earth below her. The rangeres home town was still in shadow. It wouldn't be dawn for another hour or so. She had considered getting an Earthian clock, but she much prefered this method of telling time.

Since she was up, she figued she should probably start working on her battle plans. But instead, Astroenma sat down in her window seat, gazing at the stars. They had looked so different from the planet's surface. Wherever it was must have been far from here...


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers still aren't mine. And I _seriously_ doubt they ever will be, so.

**A/N:** Thanks to **scifislasher** for the beta. She did this back in my old life, for those who are curious why I can suddenly get betad. She did point out that Andros seems to willing to believe something here, but this will be explained in the next chapter.

**Rated:** K+

* * *

**Breaking Hearts: Chapter 1**

Astronema paced back across the room. Did Dark Specter actually expect her to do this? Of course he did. The question was, was she willing to go through with it? She didn't think that the rangers would ever believe her. It was ridiculous.

But what choice did she have? She couldn't disobey Dark Specter's orders. She reached up to her neck, touching her locket. This felt wrong, in every way.

"Astronema, this is our opportunity to infiltrate the rangers. Once they are destroyed, I'm sure you will be rewarded."

Astronema looked at him. She knew he didn't believe a word he was saying. He didn't think she should be doing this either. He also knew what would happen to her if she refused. "Ecliptor..." she realized she was fiddling with her locket, and dropped her hand quickly.

But of course Ecliptor noticed, "Astronema, you are the Princess of Evil. You must not allow yourself to be distracted."

Astronema sighed, turning away from him. "You're right," she said softly, her hand going back up to her neck.

Astronema paced across the park nervously. She had sent the rangers a message to meet her here. She didn't like this. Dark Specter had given her very specific instructions. And those instructions left her vulnerable. She knew Ecliptor was monitoring her from the Dark Fortress, but she was unarmed. If the rangers weren't willing to listen, there wasn't much he could do in time.

She sighed, forcing herself to stop pacing. How long had she been waiting here anyway? Logically, Astronema knew it couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but it felt like hours. A part of her hoped that they wouldn't show up. She didn't want to do this. But she knew that Dark Specter wouldn't care why she failed, only that she had.

"Astronema," she recognized the Red Ranger's voice behind her. She turned around, careful not to move to quickly. "What do you want?" The morphed Red Ranger asked. His five teammates stood behind him, each in a defensive stance.

She took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not here to fight," she said in what she hoped was a passive tone of voice.

"Then why are you here?" the Red Ranger demanded.

"I needed to talk to you."

"About what?" the Pink Ranger asked.

Astronema threw her a glance before she could catch herself. She quickly looked back at the Red Ranger hoping they wouldn't notice.

"I-" she couldn't help stuttering. "I am your sister," she said bluntly. She had to force herself to speak slowly.

None of them said anything for a moment.

"What?" the Red Ranger finally said in disbelief.

Astronema swallowed. At least he was considering the possibility.

"Why should we believe you?" the Blue Ranger demanded after another long silence.

Astronema looked down, "You have every reason to distrust me. But you have to believe me. I never knew, until now," she added, anticipating the next question.

"Are- Are you really Karone?" the Red Ranger asked, stepping forward.  
Something inside her cringed. It took every ounce of her strength to suppress what she was feeling right now. She nodded slightly.

The Red Ranger demorphed. No words, no gestures, his armor just suddenly fell away in a shower of red sparkles as he took another step forward, "Karone."

He believed her.

"Andros," the Black Ranger said warningly from behind him.

"What?" the Red Ranger turned around, his back to her. She almost wished he hadn't believed her. This was crossing a line, and she knew it.

"Andros, we need to talk about this," the Silver Ranger said.

The Red Ranger looked back at her, and she felt her stomach turn. He sighed, reluctantly walking over to the other rangers. Astronema couldn't hear them, but she could tell they were arguing.

She watched them, briefly debating changing her mind. _"Astronema, you are the Princess of Evil,"_ Ecliptor's words suddenly filled her mind. He was right. She was the Princess of Evil. The rangers were her enemies. They had done far worse to her, and they wouldn't think twice about deceiving her.

* * *

"This will be your room," the Red Ranger told her. She walked into the small, gray room, trying to decide how much she felt like a prisoner. "You'll have to stay in here, for now," that certainly made it easier, she thought. Astronema made an effort not to scoff. She knew he was trying. It was the other rangers who didn't trust her. "But if you need anything, you can ask DECA, ok?"

Astronema looked up to the camera above the bed. Great, she would be under constant surveillance now. She was afraid anything she said would come out wrong, so she just nodded.

The Red Ranger smiled at her, "Karone? I'm really glad you're here."  
Astronema wished he'd stop saying things like that. But she managed a small smile, "Me too."

He looked at her for another few seconds before leaving her alone. She almost let out a sigh of relief before she remembered the camera. She was going to have to be careful.

Astronema took a few steps across the room, looking around. It was certainly much smaller than her bedroom on the Dark Fortress. And duller. There was almost no color in the room. That had surprised her the first time she'd come to the Astro Megaship, she had expected the ranger's ship to be more colorful. But she supposed it made sense that they would keep everything neutral.

She sat down on the bed, trying it out. It bothered her that there were no windows. She liked being able to see the stars. They were the only thing that made her feel like she belonged somewhere. Well, not the only thing.  
Being careful to keep her back to the camera, she reached up, touching the locket she had hidden under her clothes. Ecliptor had insisted that she leave it, but she just couldn't. Her brother, her _real_ brother meant too much to her. She knew that if the rangers saw it, they would know she was lying, that she wasn't this Karone at all. Then she would really be in trouble.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Disney owns the Power Rangers. If I owned them... things would be a lot different. And then I wouldn't need a job so much.

A/N: So, Andros and Darkonda had their little conversation from "Secret of the Locket" a little early here. Also, I'm choosing to ignore the logical things that one would do to prove that they were related to someone, like DNA testing and the like... Hey, it's PR, they have a plot hole for every color.

Rated: K+

Breaking Hearts: Ch 2

"Ok, Andros, you wanna tell us what's going on now?" TJ demanded as soon as Andros walked onto the bridge.

Andros stared at the ground, "She's Karone."

The other rangers exchanged worried looks. "Andros," Zhane said softly, "I know you want to believe that, but-"

"'Want to?'" Andros asked. He made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a scoff. "She is Karone."

"Ok," Cassie said after a minute, "but how can you be sure of that?"

He sighed, "She looks so much like our mom. I've noticed it before, I just never thought anything of it."

The other rangers exchanged looks. "Andros," TJ finally said gently, "that's not really a lot to go on."

"It was something Darkonda said, the last time I fought him. He said that she didn't even know I was alive, that even if I found her, she would never believe me."

"Andros, it could still be a trick," Cassie said after a long silence.

Andros shook his head, "No, it fits. It all makes sense now."

"Ok, Andros, what about your lockets?" Zhane asked quietly. "If she's Karone-"

"It's been years Zhane. There's no guarantee she would still have it," Andros reasoned.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask," TJ suggested.

"If she still had it she would have brought it up. I don't want to push her. I can't even imagine what she's been through."

"Andros, do you really think it makes sense that Dark Specter sent your sister to destroy you?" Carlos asked. He realized as soon as he said it that it sort of did. Dark Specter might just be that twisted.

"Andros, are you sure" Ashley asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He nodded, "I know it. She is Karone."

Astronema sat on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. She had to make a continuos, conscious effort not to reach up to her locket. She wondered how long she had been here already. It felt like hours. Now, she was bored.

It was a strange thought, to be bored when she was a prisoner here, when her life was in danger. But that didn't change the fact that she was. Astronema had run over every scenario she could think of. She had three escape plans in case the rangers decided they didn't believe her, all of which would likely fail.

She had also tried to plan out the best course of action, if they really were as gullible as they seemed. But there were to many variables. She had honestly never expected to get this far. She had no idea what the rangers would do next.

Zhane turned the corner to find Andros standing in front of her door. He waited a few minutes, watching him, but Andros didn't move. "Andros?" Zhane asked finally. "What are you doing?"

Andros shook his head, but didn't respond. Zhane sighed, walking over to stand next to him. He leaned against the wall and watched him stare at the door. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes."

Zhane kept watching him. Well, he certainly seemed sure enough. But still, this was Andros. He was desperate to find Karone. Zhane wasn't sure how much he could trust his judgment. "Just... be careful, ok?"

Andros didn't answer, Zhane didn't expect him to. He suppressed a sigh, making himself comfortable. He knew Andros well enough to know that he would probably stand here all night. And he had no intention of leaving him


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still don't own them.

A/N: I want to thank everyone who gave me such wonderful reviews on this fic. I actually wrote this chapter quite a while ago, but was unable to post it here.

I haven't updated anything on because for a long time I didn't have access to it, and honestly, by the time I did, I had gotten so out of the habit of using it that I just never got around to it. But I want you all to know that the reviews on this fic, even though there are only a few have all really touched me. So, thank you. And I hope I you like the rest of this story.

* * *

Breaking Hearts: Chapter 3

Astronema looked up at the boy sitting at the next table, the Silver Ranger. Not only was he one of the most powerful rangers in the universe, he was also unbelievably attractive. She smiled shyly when he looked up, and blushed when he smiled back.

She looked back at her datapad, still smiling. Her short blonde hair fell across her face and she reached up to tuck it behind her ear.

What was she doing here? she wondered as she looked down at the data pad, the writing on the screen didn't mean anything to her. She looked up again. What was this place? It was so big. The library, she thought. Did she remember that, or had she just figured it out? No, why would she remember, she had never been here before. She didn't know why she was here now.

Astronema put the data pad down on the table and stood up. She looked down, mildly startled as the hem of her white floral dress brushed against her knees. She smiled nostalgically. When was the last time she had worn a dress?

Never, she thought suddenly, and the world darkened. The bright sunlight streaming through the windows wasn't bright anymore. The wide open room suddenly felt small and claustrophobic. And there was that sound. Something she couldn't identify.

Of course she didn't wear dresses. How could she fight properly in a dress? Why was she wearing one now? Where was she? How did she get here?

The sound came again and Astronema sat up in bed with a start. She groaned, reaching up to rub her stiff neck. She must have fallen asleep. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, then stood up, slowly. She chuckled bitterly at herself. As far as she could tell, the rangers had put her in a guest room. Well, either that or they had really nice dungeons, she though, bitterly. And despite this, she still managed to feel like she had slept on the floor of a cell.

She sighed quietly, ignoring the pain, and headed for the door. She pressed the button, not sure anything would happen. The door slid open.

"Good morning," Andros said carefully. Too carefully. He had rehearsed it, Astronema guessed. She wasn't sure whether she was more surprised by that, or the fact that he actually knocked.

She didn't answer. She supposed she should, but she was tiered, and not entirely certain she could stay in character. Instead she looked down at what he was holding.

Andros noticed her looking and held out the clothing, "I- I brought you some clothes. I thought you might like to change." Astronema looked up at him, her expression blank. "You... don't have to. I just thought," he trailed off. "I just wanted you to have them, if you wanted."

Astronema stared at him for a minute. "Thank you," she managed finally.

Andros smiled. Those two words meant more to him than they should. Everything she did meant more to him than it should, Astronema realized. She felt the knot in her stomach again. She had to fight from cringing. She didn't like this.

"Here," He said, holding the clothes out to her. Astronema hesitated before taking them. "I came to ask if you wanted to come to breakfast," he asked tentatively.

She didn't. She wanted... Astronema stopped herself from letting out a sigh. She didn't know what she wanted. But it certainly wasn't to come to breakfast. But this was why she was here. To gain the rangers' trust. And to do that, she couldn't very well stay locked in this room all day, nor did she want to. "All right," she agreed quietly.

"Great," Andros said, practically beaming. "Did... you want to change first?" he asked, subtly gesturing towards the clothes he'd given her.

She looked down at the blue and brown clothes she was holding. "They're Ashley's," Andros told her. "She's offered to take you shopping later if you want."

Somehow, Astronema doubted that, but she didn't say anything. She just nodded, "Yeah, ok."

"Ok," Andros smiled again. Astronema was really starting to hate that. "I'll just wait out here."

She nodded. The door closed automatically as Andros stepped back. She sighed, slowly walking over to the bed. She sat down, rubbing her neck. Her fingers ran across the chain of her locket.

Remembering the camera, she resisted the urge to slide her hand around to touch it. Was she really this dependent on it? Well, considering what she was doing, maybe it was understandable.

Remembering the clothes, she picked up the shirt. It was a sleeve less brown top. Astronema frowned looking at the collar. It was to low cut to conceal her locket.

She looked up at the camera, wondering how much of the video they would actually watch. She picked up the pants and headed into the adjacent bathroom. She had noticed earlier that there was no camera in there.

Slowly, she changed her clothes, and looked at herself in the mirror. The blue pants - jeans, they where called, she remembered - felt awkward. And the blouse was to thin. Astronema sighed, it wasn't a battle outfit, she reminded herself. That was a hard thing to accept when she had spent her whole life making sure she was always ready to fight.

It was an especially hard thing to accept when she was standing on the enemy's ship. She wondered briefly if she could teleport, or if the ship's shields would stop her. Not that it mattered, she knew what Dark Specter would do to her if she failed this. He had been getting more impatient with her for some time now, and she knew that this was her last chance.

She forced those thoughts out of her head and reached up, touching her hair, it was still blue. She hesitated, then waved her hand across her hair. In a shower of violet sparkles, her long blue locks transformed to a short blonde cut.

Astronema smiled. It had been years since she had worn her natural hair color, without the help of her magic. It looked odd now. She sighed, and reluctantly reached up, unlatching her necklace. She ran her fingers over the design on the locket before putting it in her pocket. She didn't look inside, she wasn't willing to risk it.

Astronema took one last look in the mirror before leaving. Andros was waiting just outside in the corridor for her. He smiled at her. That same smile he had given her before, "You look nice."

She smiled weakly, "Thank you." She could tell how happy he was, how much it meant to him for her to be here. No, Astronema reminded herself. It wasn't her, it was who he thought she was that made him happy, his sister.

He was the enemy, she reminded herself. She was supposed to be planning her next move, not feeling sorry of him.

Astronema didn't hesitate when Andros gestured for her to come with him. She didn't hesitate when he stepped into the small lift, or when she heard the voices of the other rangers coming from the room they were apparently heading towards.

Andros slowed down at the door. The other rangers stopped talking as soon as they saw her. "Andros?" TJ asked, a clearly warning tone in his voice.

Astronema stopped herself from glaring at him. Instead, she looked at the ground.

"I thought it'd be nice if we all had breakfast," Andros said. His tone was defensive, and left no room for argument. She followed him to the back wall. "This is the Synthetron," he told her. He was smiling again, "It can make any kind of food you like."

Astronema nodded absently, purposely not looking around. She could feel the other rangers watching her.

"What would you like?" Andros asked.

She looked up at him, surprised. She took a second to process what he had asked, then shook her head, "It doesn't matter."

"Are you sure? It can make anything you want."

She shook her head again, "Anything's fine." She watched as he pressed a few buttons, then pulled out two plates. She followed him to the table.

Breakfast was awkward. No one said anything more than "pass the ketchup."

"We have to go to school," the Blue Ranger, TJ, said suddenly, harshly. She looked up from the food she hadn't touched to see he was glaring at Andros. The other rangers where looking between the two of them.

She glanced at Andros. He was staring at TJ.

"Maybe we should stay here. Just to make sure nothing happens," he put an emphasis on the last word glancing over at her.

Astronema quickly lowered her head, narrowing her eyes at her plate.

"That's not necessary," Andros said coldly.

No one said anything, and Astronema glanced up, convinced she could control her expression. Andros and the Blue Ranger where still staring at each other. But the other rangers where looking pretty much anywhere else now.

She caught the Yellow Ranger's eye and looked back down quickly. "Andros is right," she said after a moment. Astronema looked up at her, stunned. The Yellow Ranger, Ashley, smiling at her. "She's Andros' sister, we need to start trusting her sometime. And" she added before TJ could protest, "we need to trust Andros."

None of them could argue with that. Of course not, Astronema though, they had already fought in front of her, they wouldn't want to give her any more she could use against them.

"Fine," TJ said. "We'll be back in a few hours." Astronema had a feeling that was directed towards her, but she didn't look up to check.

The four Earth rangers got up, muttering goodbyes to the Red and Silver Rangers. Ashley was the only one who acknowledged her. She called her Karone of course.

"You haven't eaten anything," Andros said after they had left. "If you don't like it I could get you something else."

He was pretending the whole incident hadn't happened. Astronema shook her head, "I'm not hungry."

"Ok," he said taking her plate and his own away. She noticed then that the Silver Ranger was watching her. He had been sitting on the other side of Andros. Astronema tried to remember if he had said anything since she got there, but she honestly couldn't remember.

That wasn't good. She hadn't been paying attention to them. And though she was sure she would have noticed if they had made a move against her, it still wasn't a good move to tune out her enemies. Especially since she was supposed to be learning about them, gaining her trust.

"So what did you want to do today?" Andros asked.

She looked up, surprised to find he was talking to her. "Um," she hesitated, caught off guard, again.

"I have an idea," the Silver Ranger said. Astronema looked to see he had a grin on his face. This couldn't be anything good she decided


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not claiming it's mine, not profiting.

* * *

Breaking Hearts: Chapter 4

Astronema followed the Red and Silver Rangers out of the Megalift warily. The Silver Ranger had refused to tell her where they where going. That couldn't be a good thing. And she didn't like surprises.

He opened the door to a room that was empty except for a free standing consul near the door. "This is the Simudeck," he said, spreading his arms wide, gesturing to the empty room.

Astronema wondered if she was supposed to be impressed.

"I should give you a tour of the ship later," the Red Ranger told her. He had taken her straight to her "room" after she had come here. She still thought of it more like a cell than a room.

Astronema nodded, already considering all the ways that could be useful. She saw the Silver Ranger press a few buttons on the consul. Suddenly, the room rippled and transformed.

They where standing outdoors, on a planet, in what looked like a park. Astronema stiffened, taking a step back. It was an illusion, she was sure of that, but the breeze blowing on her face and the warmth of the sun shining down felt more real than any simulation she had experienced.

"Sorry, I should have warned you," the Red Ranger said apologetically. He looked around the park, "KO-35?"

"I thought it'd be nice to show Karone around. Maybe it'll help her remember something," the Silver Ranger said.

Astronema tensed. Was this a test? No, she had admitted that she didn't remember anything. Besides, they couldn't really expect her to , it was so long ago. She barely had any memories of her childhood before Ecliptor.

She stopped herself just before reaching up for her locket. It was all the ranger's fault. Not these rangers, admittedly, but that didn't matter. The Power Rangers where responsible for what happened to her parents, to her brother. She wasn't about to forget that.

"Do you recognize anything?"

Astronema shook her head slowly. Should she pretend to remember something? Should she say it looked familiar? But what if it was a trick? The Red Ranger might believe her, but she couldn't read anything form the Silver Ranger. That bothered her. He could be trying to trick her.

No, she decided, it was better to not remember anything. It might even win her sympathy from the rangers, not being able to remember anything from her childhood. If this was a trick, the Silver Ranger would be expecting her to lie, to pretend she did recognize something. Not doing so would give her more credibility.

"This is the park," the Red Ranger was saying, "we used to come here all the time when we where kids. Our house was just over there," he said, pointing off to the right. Astronema glanced where he was pointing, trying to feign interest.

"Then the city is that way," she noticed him pause, and looked to him, wondering if she'd missed a cue. "Is there anything you would like to see?" he asked awkwardly.

Astronema glanced to where he had said his house was. That had more potential for problems. It would be less likely she would be expected to remember anything in town. She hesitated, wondering the best way to say it, "I- I don't think I'm ready to see home yet."

Andros nodded understandingly, and Astronema smirked inwardly, proud of herself. She followed the rangers through the park, and into an urban area. They took turns telling her stories about growing up on KO-35.

It sounded nice, Astronema thought. She envied them that way, they'd had a childhood free of fear, free of hate. Ecliptor had done everything he could to protect her, to give her the best life possible. But the reality was that she would had never survived if she hadn't known exactly what would happen if she wasn't strong enough, if she didn't have the memory of her brother, the need to avenge what happened to her family to keep her going.

And she needed that now, she thought, narrowing her eyes at the backs of the Red and Silver Ranger's for just a second. They where the enemy, there was no mistaking that.

"The market place is over this way. Of course it was always full of people. I'm sorry, I'm afraid we don't have the memory to simulate that very well."

"That's ok," Astronema said absently. So, this simulation had it's limitations. That was good to know. She wondered exactly how much it could handle.

"What's that?" she asked as they walked past a huge building surrounded by trees.

"That's the library," the Silver Ranger said.

"Would you like to go in?" Andros asked hopefully.

Astronema honestly couldn't care less. She didn't even know why she had asked. But she couldn't exactly say no. She nodded slightly, "Sure."

They climbed the few stairs to the large doors that slid open on their approach. The room they had walked into was huge. It was at least two stories high, with bright sunlight streaming in through the tall windows. There was a reception desk to one side, and a wide shelf of datapads. Three or four rows of computer consuls stood behind them. The center of the room was full of tables, oversized lounge chairs, and couches. The other wall had a row of shelves that where full of actual books.

Astronema looked around the library absently. There was something vaguely familiar about this room. No doubt something about it reminded her of some other library she had been in that she couldn't recall just now. In the back of her mind she debated again mentioning that it looked familiar, but dismissed that idea.

She wandered around the room aimlessly, hoping she looked like she was trying to recall something. She touched one of the tables at random. It was beautiful, made of white marble. Where had she seen that before? she wondered. She looked up, noticing the light streaming in through the shear curtains, casting a soft glow on the white couch a few feet away.

Astronema gasped suddenly, taking a step back.

"Karone?" the Red Ranger said, immediately by her side. "Are you all right?"

Damn it! Had he been standing there the whole time? Why hadn't she noticed him? Her eyes where still fixed on the scene in front of her.

"Karone?" the Silver Ranger asked cautiously.

She didn't dare glance at him. This wasn't possible. She had never been here before. This had to be a trick!

"It- it's nothing," she said, turning towards the Red Ranger, her expression neutral. That wasn't possible. There's no way the rangers could have created this simulation based on a dream she'd had last night. They had no reason to if they could. It was a coincidence. That was all.

The Red Ranger was about to say something when the ship's computer's voice came out of nowhere, "There is a disturbance on Earth."

The rangers hesitated for a second, looking at each other.

Astronema tensed.

"DECA, end simulation," Zhane said, heading for the door as soon as the library faded back into the gray room on their ship.

"Are you going to be ok?" the Red Ranger asked, looking at her with concern.

Astronema almost scoffed. They where the ones who where about to go fight, risking their lives for a planet that wasn't even their own, and he was concerned about her?

She nodded, trying to look worried. He gave her a small smile before hurrying after the Silver Ranger. "Be careful!" she thought to call after him.

He stopped just before turning the corner and smiled at her, "Don't worry."


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own cookies! Well, virtual cookies... My boss owns real cookies. Saban owns Power Rangers.

* * *

Chapter 5

Astronema walked through the empty corridors of the Astro Megaship. The Power Rangers where on Earth, fighting. She wondered absently who had gotten the assignment of distracting them.

She felt strange wandering around their ship like this, wrong. The Red Ranger had told she was free to go where she wanted on the ship. Except of course for the restricted areas, the only places she could be interested in.

Of course she wasn't really alone, not with those cameras placed every few meters. She glanced up at one in what she hoped was a casual manner.

"Is there somewhere specific you wanted to go?" the computer asked.

Astronema almost sighed with exasperation, so much for casual. "No," she answered, keeping her voice even. That computer was to smart. She felt a twinge in her stomach and she did sigh, "Computer, which way to the..." what was it the Red Ranger had called it? "Synthetron?"

She followed it's directions to the room, then made her way to the machine on the back wall. She stood there, staring at it for a minute.

"Would you like instructions on operating the Synthetron?" the computer asked.

"I can figure it out myself!" Astronema snapped. She regretted it immediately. She was supposed to be Karone, she couldn't keep breaking character like that.

Astronema glanced up at the computer's nearest camera's, wondering if she should apologize. Would it tell the rangers if she didn't? The Red Ranger hadn't told her much about the ship's computer, but it seemed to be an AI. Astronema supposed that meant she should probably be nice to her. If she cared about the rangers, she would warn them if she acted suspiciously.

Astronema scowled, even if the computer wasn't an AI, they probably had her programed to spy on her at all times. It was best to treat her the same way the rangers did. What did they call her?

_DECA_.

"I'm sorry, DECA. I- I didn't mean that."

"You are experiencing a difficult transition. It is understandable that you will need time to adjust to this life."

Astronema swallowed hard. Did she have to be so _nice_ to her? This would be a lot easier if she was just a computer. "I guess I could use some instructions," she admitted, honestly.

"Of course. The digital control panel allows you to choose any type of food you like. There are 364 presets currently programmed into the Synthetron that include dishes from Aien, Earth, Eltar, Canya, KO-35, Triforia, and Yori. I can get you whatever you would like, or I can provide you with directions on how to do it yourself."

"KO-35?" It probably wasn't a good idea, Astronema knew that. But she was curious, "What's Andros' favorite food? From KO-35?"

"Alquin pasta."

"Could I try that? Please?" she remembered.

"Of course," DECA said. "Your meal is ready," she added after just a few seconds.

Astronema opened the door to the Synthetron. She pulled out the plate and carried it over to the small table. It was orange. That was her first observation. Well, it smelled all right anyway. She picked up the fork, stirring the pasta, trying to work up the nerve to try it. It was very orange.

Before she could taste it, two streaks of light appeared in front of her. she gasped, standing quickly. The light faded to reveal the Red and Silver Rangers standing there, unmorphed.

_Calm down_ she told herself. "Andros, is everything all right?"

Andros nodded. "It was," he hesitated notably, "nothing we couldn't handle."

She gave him an inquisitive look.

"Just some Quantrons," Zhane said, grasping Andros' shoulder briefly as he walked past. "We didn't even need the others. Hey, is it lunch time?" The question was apparently rhetorical, as Zhane was already at the Synthetron by the time he had finished speaking.

Andros noticed the plate on the table, he blinked, looking at her.

"I-" Astronema followed his gaze. _Calm DOWN_! she commanded. "I wanted to try something from KO-35. DECA suggested that," she waited until she had finished speaking to meet his gaze. She quite frankly didn't trust herself to do both.

Andros smiled, "Do you like it?"

Astronema looked back at the plate, "I haven't tried it yet."

Zhane had gotten his own plate and come over to the table. He looked in between the two of them. His was bound to turn into an awkward silence, he thought. "Are you going to join us, or just watch us eat?" he asked Andros with a grin as he sat down.

"What? Yeah, of course. I'll be right back," he added.

Astronema glanced at the Silver Ranger before lowering herself back in her seat, then looked back down at the pasta. It was still orange.

"I'll see you in the morning," Andros told her.

Astronema forced herself to smile for what must have been the hundredth time that day. "Ok, goodnight," she remembered as she stepped inside her room. The door couldn't close fast enough for her. Immediately, she went to the small bathroom across the room and pressed the control to shut the door. As soon as it had slid shut, she let out a sigh, turning around to rest against the door.

She had never been this exhausted. She couldn't help glancing at her reflection in the mirror. Her hand went up automatically to her neck when she saw that her locket wasn't there. She remembered that she had put it in her pocket before she reached her neck and reached down to pull it out.

What was she doing here? It was a stupid question. One she had asked and answered a thousand times, and quite frankly, she was getting tired of thinking it. *They're idiots,* she thought, not daring to speak out loud, not knowing how good the camera's audio systems were. *How can they trust me?*

Of course, most of them didn't. When the Earth Rangers had returned to the ship in the late afternoon, thinks had gone from barely tolerable, to almost hostile. The Silver and Yellow Rangers were the only ones who had made any kind of effort to ease the tension.

It was becoming obvious that that the Earth Rangers disagreed with the Red Ranger's decision to trust her. The Silver Ranger supported him, though she wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps it was because he had known him longer, because he trusted him more. The Yellow Ranger acted like she _wanted_ to trust his decision.

This, of course, could work to her advantage, she thought. If they were divided, they were weakened. She started to think how she could use this against them. She knew that her best chance was to drive as large a wedge in between the Earth Rangers and the two Karoven Ranges as possible. The Earth Rangers would be weaker without their two more experienced teammates, and she could use the Red Ranger's trust to lure the two of them to their demise.

Somewhere in her mind a voice reminded her that this was wrong. She hadn't heard that voice in a long time, not since she was a child. When Ecliptor had first begun grooming her to become a great name in evil. She had done thing that she knew where what she was meant to do, things that would benefit her, but some part of her objected. Over time, that voice had faded, and eventually disappeared all together. She had entirely forgotten that it had ever existed, until she had come here.

It was strange, hearing it again. Having some part of herself telling her that what she was doing was wrong, for reasons she didn't understand. She was evil. The things she did were evil. And, granted, this was somewhat less honorable than she would have liked, but it had been an order from Dark Specter himself. And when she succeeded, she squeezed the locket in her hand, finding a new kind of determination within herself, she would be rewarded immensely!

She slipped the locket back into her jeans pocket, and began working on her new plan.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I know I changed pronouns in how I refer to DECA half way through. Astronema thinks of the computer as a computer at first, but when she stops to consider that, and comes to believe that DECA is in fact an artificial intelligence, she changes the way she thinks about her. And yes, I put way to much thought into this.


End file.
